2010 NCAA national champion J.P. O'Connor '10 has completed his
third season as a member of the Harvard wrestling coaching staff,
rejoining the Crimson after enjoying one of the most decorated
careers in program history.

In his first season as a member of the staff, O'Connor helped
the Crimson place five on the podium at the EIWA Championships
while Steven Keith '13 and Walter Peppelman '12-'13 earned
All-America status at the NCAA Championships with a pair of eighth
place finishes at 133 lbs. and 157 lbs., respectively.

In 2013, O'Conner helped Harvard post its first winning record
in dual meets (8-5) and its first winning record against the EIWA
(5-4) since 2001 with seven Crimson earning All-Ivy selections, the
most since the same year. At the EIWA Championships, eight Crimson
finished on the podium with three grapplers earning a spot in the
NCAA Championships.

The 2014 season saw the return of an EIWA champion to Cambridge
as sophomore Todd Preston won the 141 lbs. title. Preston's
performance, which included a sudden-victory overtime win over
ninth-ranked Luke Vaith of Hofstra in the finals, was so impressive
that the conference coaches awarded him Most Outstanding Wrestler
honors, making him the third Crimson grappler to receive the award.
Preston was one of five Harvard wrestlers to reach the podium at
Eastern's, and was joined at the NCAA Championships by junior
co-captain James Fox, who made his third consecutive trip to
Nationals.

O’Connor became Harvard’s third national champion in
2010 when he claimed the 157 lbs. title with a 6-4 win over Cal
Poly’s Chase Pami. O’Connor finished his senior
campaign with a perfect 35-0 record and was named both the EIWA and
Ivy League Wrestler of the year. He is the only Crimson grappler to
ever complete an undefeated season while his 35 wins that year rank
as the fourth most in program history.

O’Connor graduated with a career record of 132-16, ranking
him first in career wins and second in career winning percentage
(.892). He is one of only two wrestlers in Harvard history to earn
All-America status three times and became the first Harvard
freshman to do so in 2007 with his fifth-place finish at Nationals.
O’Connor is also the only two-time Ivy League Wrestler of the
Year in Crimson annals and was a two-time team captain. His other
accolades include being a four-time All-Ivy League selection, being
named the 2007 EIWA and Ivy League Rookie of the Year and taking
home the 2010 William J. Bingham Award as Harvard’s
outstanding male athlete.

As impressive as his career was on the mat,
O’Connor’s career away from the mat was just as
impressive. A three-time NWCA All-Academic and Academic All-Ivy
honoree, O’Connor was also named to the 2010 ESPN The
Magazine Academic All-America First Team. He helped the
Crimson to four consecutive NWCA Div. I All-Academic Team honors
and following his senior campaign Harvard was recognized as having
the highest GPA among all Div. I wrestling programs.

A native of Oxford, N.Y., O’Connor was a highly touted
recruit out of high school. He is one of only three individuals in
New York history to win four state championships and was a
five-time sectional champion. He completed his high school career
with a 238-12 record, was named first team All-America, was a
member of the Amateur Wrestling News Dream Team and was a
recipient of the 2006 Dave Schultz Athletic Excellence Award.

O’Connor earned his degree from Harvard in May of 2010 as
a human evolutionary biology concentrator.